I recently came across a new book called Leadership In Focus: Bringing Out Your Best On Camera by filmmaker Vern Oakley.

In it, he writes that media training “can suck all the authenticity out of you and leave nothing but a corporate talking head.” He goes on from there, accusing media trainers of teaching people how to “squirm” and “dodge.”

In this post, I’ll explain why his views of my profession are wrong — or at least vastly overstated.

Hours after Tuesday’s dual bombings in Brussels that killed more than 30 people, President Obama attended a baseball game in Cuba.

It was no ordinary international visit—Mr. Obama’s trip to Cuba was a diplomatic milestone, marking the first visit by an American leader since 1928. Nor was the baseball exhibition game an ordinary one—the Tampa Bay Rays were there to play the Cuban National Team.

But one image from the game—Mr. Obama doing the wave—caught the attention of critics, many of whom were disturbed by the juxtaposition of a terrorist attack and the American First Family delighting in the Cuban sun.

The conservative Washington Free Beacon recently profiled a “pair of Democratic operatives” who provided media training to a trade group about climate change.

My primary intent in this post is not to debate climate change science—the writer chose quotes favorable to his position but appeared to ignore evidence that provides a more balanced view—but rather to

Many university presidents have found themselves in hot water recently for dispensing what they thought of as “common sense” campus safety advice to students. Seemingly innocuous pieces of advice, such as “be careful how much you drink,” are increasingly being perceived as “victim blaming.”

According to The Toronto Star, a Toronto news anchor has been suspended due to concerns about a possible conflict of interest:

“Global Television news anchor Leslie Roberts has been suspended from the network after a Toronto Star investigation found he is secretly the part owner of a small public relations firm whose clients — lawyers, small

Anita Lopez, a Democratic mayoral candidate in Toledo, Ohio, likes to prepare carefully for her media interviews. She requires her staff to ask questions of reporters before any interview and to complete a form containing details about the story.

So far, I’m on board. That’s a rather typical media strategy, and it’s the kind of responsible